To Find the Truth's Cure
by I'm Nobody's Girlfriend
Summary: Summary: Al has finally gotten his body back, but it has come with a price. Instead of Ed sacrificing his alchemy to return his brother's spirit to flesh, the Truth had already taken something from Al. His health. Winry, Ed, and Al must race to get the cure from the Truth, before it's to late. What plans does "God" have up his sleeve? (Noncanon, but spoilers for after Brotherhood)
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: I am really excited to write this story :) Enjoy!**_

* * *

Chapter one

Alphonse Elric was gently awoken by the rays of sunshine that warmed his skin. It was funny, really, how something as insignificant as that could make him happy in the morning. Getting his body back came with a price. A price that he would have to live with, from now on. Even with the lingering ache in his back and the dull throbbing in his head, he stretched, untangled himself from his heap of blankets, and sat on the edge of his bed. When his feet came in contact with the floor, he cringed.

He had noticed lately, that he seemed to be sensitive to the smallest of touches. Whether it would be the brushing of his hand onto a wall, or a playful punch from his brother, the sudden contact with his skin felt… Out of place. He _had _been a suit of armor for four years, though. His old metal shell prohibited him feeling any profound feeling of touch. He could tell if someone else if they were to touch him, but the warmth that accompanied the gestures went unnoticed. You could compare it to holding someone's hand with a leather glove on, really.

Never the less, Al was ecstatic having his original body back. It had been what, less than a month now? He smiled sadly. The list in his blue leather bound journal would have to wait for now. He had to wait until he was healthier to even get to "Eating Winry's apple pie." Al frowned at the thought. Would he ever truly be healthy again? The toll that the Truth mentioned was starting to make him doubt his wellness.

All his family knew was that the doctor's orders were that he had to rest plenty and eat only broth. Not that he was complaining, though; he had taken a liking to Pinako's "Stew without the good stuff," as Ed put it.

Al rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and grabbed his "Stick." (He didn't like the term "Cane," he argues, it makes him sound like an old man.) Leaning against his stick, he plodded downstairs. His gentle morning was put to a halt with his older brother's loud teasing from the living room.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty, it's about time you woke up!" Al blinked in confusion, a look Ed knew all too well.

"It's one in the afternoon; you've been sleeping since this time yesterday! Even I don't sleep that much, and that's saying something!"

Winry smacked Ed on the arm from her lazy position on the other side of the sofa. "Shut up, Ed, you know he needed the extra rest," she scolded. Ed sighed. "I know, Mom…"

Al gauchely filled in the space between them on the couch. Winry nonchalantly tossed a grape in her mouth, and then offered some to Ed.

"So, Al, how've you been holding up? We woke you up last night for dinner, but you were a walking zombie. You fell asleep at the table, and I made Ed carry you back up too your room," Winry said, recalling the tale with a laugh.

Al blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I did?" He squeaked. "Sorry." Winry chuckled at his embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it; like I said earlier, you really need the extra rest." Ed perked up and reached for the bowl of fruit in Winry's hands.

"Yeah, and you need to pack on the pounds, too. You're still the same size you were on the day we got your body back," Al rolled his eyes and put his hands up in defense.

"Not my fault, brother!" I can't have solid foods yet, right?" Ed glanced at Winry, and nodded. She returned the nod and smiled. Al was amused that the pair could seem to have a whole conversation with each other and not have to utter a word. Forget Elric telepathy, it was more like Rockbell telepathy. Winry tore her eyes away from Ed and smiled warmly at Al.

"Today is the day that you're going to try real food, Al!" Ed passed him the bowl of grapes. Al eyed the purple fruit.

"You want me…To eat these…Grapes?" He asked hesitantly. Judging by Ed's furious nodding, he guessed he didn't have a choice. Oh, and how he fantasized that his first real meal in a living body would be something along the lines of some of Pinako's famous baked potatoes, or maybe even turkey or ham, or…

His thoughts were cut short by Ed's frantic tone. "Well, are you gonna eat them?!"

Al summoned up all of his courage and picked up a grape. He felt his family tensely studying his every move. He turned to them and raised his eyebrows. They were this excited over him eating?

He brought the fruit to his lips and reluctantly bit off of it. After he chewed, he stuck out his tongue while squinting his eyes. "Sour," he declared. "Bleh. I hate grapes."

"You used to love them." Ed said while shaking his head. "When you were a baby, and I wanted you to leave me alone, all I had to do was break out the peanut butter and grapes, and you'd sit in the middle of the floor and eat. Mom would find you with peanut butter smeared across your face, and grapes everywhere…" He grinned evilly at the memory.

"Gee, thanks, Ed. I can really feel the brotherly love," Al muttered.

"No problem. Let's find you something better to eat… How about stew? Granny can make you some! Can't ya, Granny?" Ed yelled loudly so that Pinako could hear. Pinako huffed and removed the pipe from her lips.

"I guess, but I'd better get started." Now it was her turn to yell loudly.

"We wouldn't want the midget to get restless, would we Al?" Right on cue, Ed went into one of his short rants. Al laughed, and announced that he was going to go upstairs and get dressed.

When Al walked up the stairs to get to his room, he had to stop for a second. He felt extremely weak, his muscles felt as though they were on fire. He thought he was going to throw up, but he decided to keep going. After all, he just needed to get used to having a human body again. This was surely normal…Right?

* * *

Al studied the spoonful of stew in his hand. The heat radiating from it was enough to make him nervous. His family gathered around the table to watch, and receive their fair share of stew from Pinako. She filled his bowl first, and no one (Not even Ed!) complained. Al slurped the broth first, and then devoured the meat and vegetables. Pinako, Winry, and Ed cheered. Al smiled. He had forgotten how good eating was! His family began to stuff their faces as well. Al took a bread roll from the basket in the middle of the table. They were having such a good time, laughing, talking. Al grinned. Things would finally be normal.

After a few more spoonfuls of stew, Al closed his eyes. Out of nowhere, he began to feel nauseous. He frantically excused himself, and ran to the bathroom. He heard his family calling for him, asking him what was wrong, but he didn't have time to answer. He slammed the door shut. He ran to the toilet and threw up his meal. When he was done, he wiped his mouth with a tissue and rested his burning forehead on the cool porcelain. He began to cry softly. Why did he throw up? He finally got to eat something, and feel okay for a while, and now he felt horrible. It just wasn't fair!

"Al!" Ed and Winry chorused while pounding on the door. "Are you alright?" We're coming in, kay?" Winry's concerned voice caused a pang of guilt inside him. He remained near the toilet, for the queasy feeling in his stomach didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

"Kay," he rasped. Ed told Winry to stay outside for a second. Al held his head above the seat and puked again.

Winry and Ed were baffled. One minute, Al was doing fine, talking, and laughing like his old self. Then, out of the blue, he dashed to the bathroom. They chased after him, called his name, and tried to see what was wrong with him. Before they could get to him, he slammed the door in their faces. They convinced him to let them enter, but what they saw was heartbreaking. Al was miserably hovered over the toilet, his downcast face scrunched up in pain.

Ed let her in the bathroom while he cleaned Al up. She gathered medicines and supplies and followed Ed. He carried his little brother up to his room and tucked him in.

Winry brought the supplies into his room. She placed her hands on his forehead and gasped. "Al, you're burning up!" She ran to the bathroom and wet a dishcloth. Al shuddered when she draped the cool material on his fiery skin.

"Al, does anything hurt?" She asked. Al closed his eyes in a last ditch effort to rid himself of some of his pain. "Stomach 'n head." He mumbled. Winry grabbed some medicine from the pile of things she brought upstairs with her. She filled the pink liquid to the marked line and tried to get her friend to sit up. "Al, here, take this, It will hopefully bring down your fever." Al shook his head defiantly. Winry huffed in annoyance.

"Al, why is it that you're such a sweetheart all the time, but when you get sick you turn as stubborn as your brother?"

Al's lips twitched into a smile, but became taut again when a jab of pain went through his abdomen. Ed smirked at his chance to scold his younger brother. These opportunities rarely occurred, seeing as how Al was the one who usually had to keep him in line.

"Al, take your medicine, it will help you," he chided.

"I'll take that crap when you decide to drink milk. Now leave me alone," Al grumbled. Ed shuddered at the mention of the cream-colored drink. Winry was obviously not amused. Al's uncharacteristically indignant attitude was starting to grate on her nerves.

"Al, if you don't take this medicine in the next five seconds, so help me God, I will grab one of my wrenches off that table over there, and stick it so far-" Winry's rant was cut off by Al snatching the vile from her and downing its contents. She smiled softly. "Thank you."

When Al fell asleep, both she and Ed agreed that they needed to keep a closer eye on the younger Elric from that moment forth.

**Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 3

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The next morning, Alphonse felt horrible. He had developed a very painful migraine in the course of the night, along with just feeling achy and tired altogether. He made it his goal to get downstairs without showing that he felt sick. He may not be as stubborn as his brother, but he knew that he hated people doting over his just as much as Ed did. With his stick in hand, he hobbled to the kitchen and collapsed in a chair. Winry, Ed, and Pinako exchanged concerned countenances. Al managed a weak chuckle.

'Well, that plan worked out,' his mind whispered sarcastically. He rested his arm on the rough surface of the table and forced a smile. His family eyed him suspiciously.

"Mornin'," he said with a weary wave. Ed raised an eyebrow. "Morning..?" he repeated.

"Are you hungry?" Winry asked. Al shook his head. Food was the last thing on his mind at that moment. His head felt like it was going to explode. He rubbed his temples, but noticed that Winry had put her hands on her hips.

"You really need to eat though, you're skin and bones still!" Al narrowed his eyes at her, while she continued her babbling. "I mean nothing big, okay? Something just to regain your strength? Maybe just some nice soup or-"

"I said I'm not hungry!" Alphonse wasn't one to raise his voice, much less interrupt someone when they were speaking, but every single noise felt like a hit of a hammer to his skull. He suddenly wanted nothing but quiet for a mere second. His family stood in shock by his sudden outburst that was so unlike his personality.

Al rested his head on his arms and snuggled up into the loose fabric of his shirt sleeve. "Sorry, Winry. My head just hurts," he apologized.

The mechanic's hard gaze softened when she saw the pain reflected in her friend's gray eyes. **(1.)** "It's okay, Al," She said quietly. "You should probably go back to bed, though"

Al didn't respond. His raspy breath was enough to tell them that he fell asleep. Pinako abandoned her position at the skillet to check on the younger Elric. She smoothed back the sweaty stray hairs out of his face with a sigh. "He needs to see a doctor or something."

Ed crossed his arms. "What about you? You've preformed automail surgeries, a check-up on him should be nothing to you!" Pinako chuckled at his brashness. "I would if I could, but do you honestly think that I would be able to diagnose whatever sickness he has? Outfitting mechanical limbs and being a pediatrician are two totally different things, Edward," She countered. Ed's shoulders slumped, but he had to ask the question that everyone was thinking. "He's going to be fine though, right?"

Pinako shrugged sadly. "It may just be a bug, but in his weak state, he may need to see a professional. Right now, he probably has the immune system of a three-year-old." Pinako turned around when a burning scent filled her senses. "Winry! Check the bacon for me!" Winry scattered over to the stove.

Ed still wasn't put at ease. He wet a dishrag and lowered it on his little brother's forehead. Pinako patted him on the back. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Ed."

"I know…" He lowered his amber eyes and played with Al's bony fingers, "I just don't want to lose him."

"You won't."

Ed snapped his head to his still half asleep sibling. Al smiled weakly, with his eyes still closed. "You will never lose me."

Ed grinned, ruffled Al's hair, and dramatically stood up. "Well, I guess I'm going to go to try to find a doctor nearby. Isn't Mrs. Lauren a doctor? She lives by the train station on the other side of town right?"

"Yeah," Winry said, jumping in to the conversation. "You'd better hurry; I hear she's usually very busy."

Ed grabbed his red cloak from the back of his chair, put it on, and bid his farewells. Little did he know, that when he returned that night, his brother's health would have taken a turn for the worse.

* * *

Winry sighed and tucked Al into his bed. Wiping the sweat off of her brow, she rested in the wooden chair like she had the night before. Carrying a fifteen-year-old up a flight of stairs wasn't the easiest thing to do, even if the person was deathly thin. Even if it was hard to carry him upstairs, she was still worried about how light he was when she held him. It surely wasn't healthy that she could feel his ribs sticking from under his shirt.

"Winry?"

The mechanic snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. "Yeah?"

Al moaned and rubbed his hand on his stomach to keep his nausea at bay. "Do you have a bucket up here?"

Winry blinked and ran to the bathroom. Al heard shuffling of objects and slamming of closets, before she ran back to him with a pink tub that you would find in a hospital. Winry figured that it must have belonged to her parents in their days in Ishval. "Here," she said, thrusting it to him.

Instantly, she heard barfing noises, and the familiar stench of bile. She could see Al's silloet hunched over the bowl, trembling. She patted his back the way she remembered her mom did when she was ill. When Al was done, she took the tub from his shaking hands and walked to the bathroom to wash it out. With the flip of the light switch, she discovered that the contents in the tub were not just what he last ate. There was also a mass of a dark red substance. She gasped.

Al was shaking. Why was his body so weak? Were the Truth's words true? Would he really have to be unhealthy for the rest of his life? By the looks of it, he judged, he would, and he was terrified.

"Oh my gosh, Al," Winry said, walking back to his bed. She commanded him to let her take his temperature, and was astounded by what she found. She put the water rag back on his burning flesh and prayed that her friend would be okay.

"Winry…" Al whispered, "I can't stop sh-shaking."

"I know Al, let me go get Granny-"

"No! Stay here wi-" Al was cut off by the urge to vomit again. He tried to make it to the bathroom, but his weak legs gave out. He ended up throwing up on his tank top. With his final wretch, there was a steady trickle of blood escaping from the side of his mouth. A few tears slid down his flushed cheeks. He was beyond miserable.

Winry almost cried at the pitiful scene. "Al, I swear, I'll be right back, I'm going to go get Granny, so that she can help you." Before he could protest, she bolted downstairs.

Pinako and Winry came to his aid a few minutes later. Pinako lifted his soiled apparel off of him. Winry helped him to the bathroom while Pinako threw his tank top into the sud-filled sink to let it soak, and slid one of Ed's old t-shirts on him. Winry tried to clean the blood off of his mouth, but the cloth came in contact with his cheek when he snapped his head away.

"Winry, I can do it myself," he rasped.

"I know you can, but let me. It will take two seconds."

He nodded reluctantly. Winry smiled and dabbed his chin with the rag. She thanked whoever was listening that Al wasn't handling this situation like Ed would have.

"Where's brother?" He asked sleepily.

Winry looked at the clock. She had asked herself that question an hour ago. Ed left in the morning, shouldn't he had been home by now?

"I don't know, Al, hopefully he'll be back soon."

Al meekly nodded and let her guide him back into his bed. He visibly relaxed into the pillows and fell asleep.

* * *

When Winry and Pinako had finished cleaning his shirt, they went downstairs to relax. Soon they were slumbering peacefully on the couches, Winry on one, and her Granny on the other.

Ed swung the front door open. He expected to be met with smiling faces, happy that he was home, but instead was met with two sleeping figures. He shook the larger of the two on the shoulder to wake her.

"Ed?" She whispered, "Crap, what time is it? How long was I asleep?"

Ed shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I just walked in, expecting hero-worship for getting us a doctor's appointment for tomorrow, but instead I get nothing," he pouted.

"Boo hoo," Winry mocked. She threw off her covers and surveyed her surroundings. Something wasn't right…

"Al! Oh man, I forgot to check on Al!" She cried. Ed pushed her gently back on the couch.

"No, I'll go check on him."

"Ed, you don't understand!"

"I'm just going to see if he's alright! If something's wrong, I'll leave the doctor work to you."

"Ed! He was throwing up blood earlier!"

"What?!"

Winry squeezed her eyes closed, but the tears escaped and slid slowly down her cheeks. Ed wiped her eyes with his thumb and kissed her on the head.

"Winry, is my brother going to be okay? Tell me the truth."

She turned her moist face and looked him dead in the eyes.

"I really don't know. I hope so, Ed."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Heyo! I hope you all like this chapter! I spent two hours every day for the last two days on this, so I hope it's good. Constructive criticism would make my day! Disclaimer, I do not own FMAB or FMA. If I did, Envy would still be alive. **

* * *

The next morning, Al woke up from a tapping on his shoulder. He tried to push the fingers away, but they were determined to wake him from his blissful slumber.

"Nngh," he mumbled, and cuddled closer to the pillows.

"Al, you have to wake up, the doctor's going to be here soon," Ed said.

Al sighed. "What doctor?" He rolled to face his older sibling. "Why?"

"You're sick; she's going to see what's wro-"

Al rolled his eyes and huffed. A doctor's opinion was not going to change his condition! He needed to tell Ed about his secret soon, before things got out of hand. How would he do it though? Ed would be furious, he knew that much, but he was also aware that as soon as he would confess, Ed would want to play hero and become reckless. Denial would have to work for now, he concluded.

"I'm not sick!" Al interrupted. "Just a cold! I swear, brother!"

Ed gave him an 'Are you kidding me' look. "You don't puke blood when you have a cold, Al!"

Al flinched. It was barely a day after that little incident, and Ed had already talked to Winry?

"You heard about that?"

"Yes, and you're seeing a doctor today. Get dressed."

Al closed his eyes and sighed. He was dreading this moment. He couldn't keep it a secret anymore. His brother needed to know the truth. _He_ needed to Ed to know the truth.

"Brother, I need to talk to you about somethi-"

Much to his relief, Al's confession was cut off by Den's barking. The front door creaked open, and a chorus of greetings were loudly exchanged.

"Guys, Mrs. Lauren is here!" Winry called. Al stood and grabbed his cane. Ed shook his head disapprovingly and gave him a piggy back ride downstairs.

Mrs. Lauren preformed her checkup and announced that Al had symptoms similar to Yellow Fever. She gave Ed a container of pills, along with instructions.

"Just give him one tablet each morning for a few weeks or so. He should feel better soon."

Ed and Winry thanked the doctor and showed her out. Al was relieved to see her gone. All of her medical talk and constant prodding got annoying quickly. He took a single pill to ease Winry's anxiousness, and then retreated to the living room.

Ed followed soon after, plopping down on the sofa next to his brother. They awkwardly exchanged glances. Al looked away suddenly and rubbed his temples. Ed peered over to see if he was okay, but found Al scrunching his eyes shut.

"Al! Are you okay?" He asked. Al turned to face him again and grinned, his pale lips strained. "Yeah, I'm fine." A single tear rolled down his cheek, contrasting harshly with the forced happy expression.

Ed growled. Even when his little brother was in pain, why did he choose to hide it under fake smiles and lies? He smirked at the thought. Who was he kidding? He would've done the same thing.

"I'm going to get Winry," he said. When he stood up, Al grabbed his shirt and sighed shakily. "Ed, I really need to tell you something."

Ed nodded, sat back down, and stared at him; silently beckoning him to continue.

"The day I sacrificed my armor to get your right arm back…" Al curled up into a ball, his knees tight against his burning face, "Before you showed up, the Truth told me that I would need to sacrifice something more to regain my humanity. He said that a hunk of metal wouldn't cut it. I said that I would give up anything for you, and…" He trailed off. His eyes closed in the middle of the sentence.

"And?" Edward pressed.

Al blinked several times before he was awake enough to finish. "…And he took away my 'decent state of health.' I wasn't sure what exactly he meant by that, but before I could say anything; I was in front of my gate, staring at my physical body."

Ed clutched his head. This couldn't be happening. They had just gotten everything back to normal, and this is how life repays them? He wiped a single drop of water away from his face, and sighed. He was going to kick the Truth's ass for this. A loud cough shook him from his malicious thoughts. He scooted over to his baby brother's aid and patted his back until they quieted to weak hems.

Al hated the feeling you experience when you know someone is going to go to great measures for your well-being. He knew it far too well in fact. Not even a year ago was he in a suit of armor, relying on his brother to fix everything for him. Here he was now, in the same situation, but this time, physically ill? Was he even worth all of that pain? All of that sacrifice? The entire burden that he was to his older sibling?

"No", he declared to himself. "Brother is not going to go through hell again for my sake. It's time to fix my own problems, without him guiding me every step of the way. This is a task of my own."

The sound of coughing filled the house, but the only thing that the younger Elric could hear was his own mind planning out his mission.

.

.

.

Once his family was asleep, Al packed necessities for his trip. His clammy fingers fumbled under his bed, but paused when he found the item he was searching for. He pulled out the shoebox that he had saved his allowance in when he still lived with Pinako as a boy. He smiled at an old memory of a nine-year-old Edward spending his money every week on candy.

Al was glad that he hadn't given in to the chocolate snacks like his brother had. He pocketed the money and snatched his drawstring bag. Today was a new day.

He snuck out of the house, and into the humid summer air. Den trailed behind him, his automail leg clicking every few steps. When he reached down to pet the dog one last time before he left, he face palmed his idiot self.

"How could I forget to leave them a note? They would be worried sick if I left without a trace! Thanks Den." Al patted him on the head and ran inside to scribble down a letter. He stuck it on the dining table, an obvious place for his family to look.

Al left the house once again, and ventured down the familiar streets of Risenpool. His body was exhausted following only twenty minutes of walking. He became nauseous soon after, so the sight of a tree in the distance was a relief. He scurried over to the stump and started retching. He panicked a little when he saw red tainting the dry grass, but wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He had to continue on.

He stood up, wiped off his pants, and started walking again. Coughs racked his body for the remainder of his trip to the train station, and small splatters of blood stained the sleeve he covered them with.

When he arrived at the train station, the scent of exhaust welcomed him. The bright lights hurt his eyes, so he rubbed them and walked like a zombie to the ticket booth.

"One '_cough' _ticket please," Al said, placing some money on the counter.

The man recognized him immediately. "Alphonse! Traveling again already?"

Al nodded.

"Your brother's not wit'cha? That's a surprise!" He added.

"Yeah, I'm on my own this trip," Al rasped with a smile.

The man handed Al his ticket and gave him a sideways glance. "Hey, Alphonse, you feeling alright? Ya' look pale."

"Yeah, it's just a cold. Once I get back, it'll be gone." Oh, how he hoped he was right.

The man grinned and bid his farewells. Al searched the station for the train leaving for Central and boarded when he found it. He quickly settled in, falling asleep the moment he hit the seat.

.

.

.

"Ed! Edward! Wake up! Ed!" Winry cried, shaking the shaking the golden haired teen awake.

Ed cracked open his eyes and saw worried blue ones staring into his own. He sat up into a sitting position and groggily looked at the clock.

"Winry!" He whined, "It's seven in the morning, why the hell did you wake me up?!"

"Al left! I went downstairs to check on him this morning, but he wasn't in his room. I was on my way to your room, when I found this!"

She handed Ed a notebook paper filled with neat flowing letters that they recognized as Al's. Ed scanned the page suspiciously, and read aloud:

**_Dear Ed, Winry, and Pinako,_**

**_I think I know who to call to help me. I'll be leaving for a little while, but I'll be back really soon. Don't follow me Ed. I have to do this on my own._**

**_Love,_**

**_Alphonse_**

Steam almost erupted out of Ed's ears. Was his little brother really this stupid? Didn't he see that they could help him? He crumpled up the paper and threw it across the room. He stomped to the door, snatched his pocket watch off of a table, and rushed out, tuning out the cries of the worried Rockbells.


End file.
